1 of 1 Darryl George on February 22, 2024 Photo: Houston Chronicle/Via AP Darryl George on February 22, 2024 Photo: Houston Chronicle/Via AP
A judge in the US state of Texas ruled on Thursday (22) that a Houston city school district did not violate a new state law against discrimination Penalizing a black student for refusing to change his hairstyle, local media said.
A school district is a body responsible for schools in a specific region of the United States.
The Barbers Hill Independent School District in Austin has decided to suspend 18yearold student Darryl George because he has pigtails on his head. In August, he was suspended and placed in a disciplinary program for the entire school year.
According to the news outlet, Judge Chap Cain ruled on the first day of the trial that the school district had not violated state law prohibiting hair discrimination based on race.
“I felt a lot of emotions anger, sadness,” George said as he entered the courtroom Thursday, according to Houston Public Media.
“It’s a very lonely feeling being the only person stuck in a room all semester, all year.”
There has been recent growing support in the United States for legislation that prohibits hair discrimination based on race, particularly the texture and style associated with a particular race or national origin.
According to the Economic Policy Institute, Texas is one of 24 states that have passed laws banning this type of discrimination. Texas passed the law in May 2023.
The American Civil Liberties Union of Texas wrote on social media Thursday that the school district “has repeatedly hindered the education of Black students in the district due to its discriminatory dress code.”